Conjunctions: some common mistakes In this lesson we will take a look at some common mistakes in the use of conjunctions Incorrect: As soon as he got the telegram, at once he started Correct: As soon as he got the telegram, he started Correct: He got the telegram and started at once Explanation We need just one conjunction to join two clauses Incorrect: Neither Sam is intelligent nor ambitious Correct: Sam is neither intelligent nor ambitious Incorrect: Neither he is a thief nor a rogue Correct: He is neither a thief nor a rogue When we use a correlative conjunction, the same kind of word should go after the two parts of the conjunction So, for example, if you use a noun after neither, you have to use a noun after nor If you use an adjective after neither, you have to use an adjective after nor In the sentence, Neither Sam is intelligent nor ambitious, the word neither is followed by a noun (Sam) and the word nor is followed by an adjective (ambitious) This makes the construction wrong Incorrect: Hardly the sun had risen when we set out Correct: The sun had hardly risen when we set out Correct: Hardly had the sun risen when we set out Explanation When a negative word goes at the beginning of a sentence, we use an inverted word order That means the auxiliary verb goes before the subject Incorrect: Hardly had he left than his friend came Correct: Hardly had he left when his friend came Explanation Than is a word used in comparative structures It should be used in the construction no sooner …than Hardly is used in the structure hardly when / before Stay on top of your writing! Download our grammar guide from www.englishgrammar.org to stay up-to-date Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org)